


Worldbend

by Heyhohero



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-04-03 17:00:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21481015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heyhohero/pseuds/Heyhohero
Summary: Ren Amamiya, a man with unfortunate circumstances arrives in Shibuya and is immediately sucked into a life changing adventure.Based in the persona 5 royal timeline, role and arcana swappedOfficial twitter https://twitter.com/worldbend
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	1. The New Kid

How dull, the train ride to Tokyo was so full of nothingness. There was nothing to do but nap, and when Ren woke up from his nap, he had found that he was at the train station where he was to get off at. Already? He must have been asleep for hours...Shibuya, right? Yongen-jaya.

He finds a sign, and very much in the right area. So now all he had to do was find this Sojiro person’s house. All he really knew was that it was in the backstreets somewhere….Hm, this might be difficult. He first starts to head down the packed station square.

Something weird happens, however. Checking his phone, he finds an app installed that he does not remember installing, and the people around him begin to slow to a stop. What? Trying to better assess the situation, he glances around, and he finds a blue mass of flame directly ahead of him. That was even weirder, and it seemed to smile at him. As quickly as it all started, however, it ended, and things were back to normal. 

Pushing the event from his mind, and deleting the app, Ren heads to the backstreets. He begins to ask around to where he could find Sojiro Sakura. 

First he asks an older lady. “No..I don’t know any Sakura-san. Sorry kiddo.” She hums to Ren before going on her way.

Okay, fine. Fair enough, not everyone knows each other here. He asked a little boy, and just the same as the older woman he didnt know where Sakura was, either. The child runs off to his mother, who Ren asks as well. It doesn’t seem like anybody knew who Sakura san was, and so now that meant he had to look at the buildings.

He approaches one of the more residential buildings, and is delighted to find out that the name plate said Sojiro Sakura on it. Oh thank god, this would be easier than he thought. The teenager knocks on the door after sneaking through the gate. No answer. Okay? Maybe he didn’t hear, so Ren rings the bell. Again, no answer. 

Frustrated, Ren looks to a delivery driver that was luckily nearby. 

“Do you know where I can find Sojiro Sakura?” He asks, his voice already frustrated with the situation.

“Sakura? Sure, this is his house. I deliver here once a week. Man eats enough for two, I swear. Doubt he’s home, he’s probably running the cafe right now.”

“Cafe? Oh, okay. Thanks sir.” The teenager bows politely as the driver gets back to work. 

A cafe, huh? Wouldn’t THAT have been nice to know earlier...That would have easily saved him maybe twenty minutes..

Ren arrives at the cafe, and the middle age man barely pays him notice. He continues to chat with a couple at the counter, washing dishes. Ren was in no hurry, so why interrupt this? Quietly, he sits down nearby to fiddle with the buttons on his new uniform. Shunjin Academy, the school he would be attending starting Monday. Today was Saturday, and he was to meet the principal tomorrow, and his homeroom teacher. Fair enough, simple. He could do that.

The couple at the counter leaves, emptying out the quiet little cafe. Well, of course other than Sojiro and Ren. Finally, Sojiro seems to notice the young man minding himself.

“Can I help you?” He asks, his voice a little snippier than Ren was used to. It took Ren off guard a little bit to have to respond to someone who would speak to him like that.

“I uh..I’m Ren Amamiya.” Ren clears his throat, standing and offering his hand out in greeting. “You’re my guardian starting today.”

“Oh, right. The delinquent.” Sojiro doesn’t take his hand, instead just returning to the dishes that he was doing. “Your room is in the attic. If you want to stay here, you’ll need to clean it. I’ll bring some sheets for the bed tonight, and tomorrow we’ll go meet your school. I don’t want any trouble, got it?”

So cold...Was he really so bad as not to be worthy of even a handshake? Regardless, Ren nods. He understood, as his own parents had gone over this with him the night before he left. Nobody had told him that his record would precede him.

“Now go on up, I don’t want you scaring away my customers.”

Ren looks around at the empty cafe, and he stifles a small chuckle. Customers, because Sojiro totally had any of those right now. Regardless, he went upstairs.

It was better than he had anticipated. Sure, it was messy, and cluttered, but he could take care of it easily. It would probably take him a couple of hours though. And, Ren had figured that he needed to be silent or else Sojiro would come yell at him for disturbing the customers. The biggest obstacle that Ren could see was a pile of old books crowding almost every surface. Rad. Better get to work, this was going to take a while.

And so he did. He began to organize everything with where it would go, and a lot of it ended up being shoved behind the staircase railing on the other side of the room, so that Ren would have a bit of room to live in for this year. Then he dusted, moped, and when Sojiro brought the sheets by, he made his bed. It didn’t...feel so bad. He could easily make this place his home! He..hoped. It wasn’t going to be an easy task, but Ren was sure he could make it work. From the box that housed all his worldly possessions (at least those that he was allowed to take with him), the young man pulls a pair of pajamas. The only pair he brought with him. He was gonna waste so much money to do laundry, wasn’t he? Should have packed better. Regardless, he changes into his pajamas, and carefully folds the uniform for tomorrow, and climbs into bed.

Not the world’s most comfy bed, no...but it was enough. A mattress on crates was better than nothing at all. 

Deciding not to go to sleep quite yet, Ren opens up his phone and sees the app from earlier in the day again.

“Huh? Weird, I thought I deleted this..” He mumbled under his breath, only to remove the app for a second time. Must be some kind of virus, tomorrow he’ll have to look into it further. For now, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

In his dreams, he recalled the event that got him here. A woman screaming, crying..begging for help. A cry that Ren’s parents raised him better than to ignore. In his dream, Ren follows the cries, and sees a woman on her knees, begging for the taller, black haired woman not to hurt her. Distinctively, the smell of alcohol was in the air, and gunpowder. Had someone shot something..? Where would they even get a gun in such a small town? The crying continues, and Ren knew that he had to intervene.

Without thinking, Ren grabbed the assaliant’s hand, and yanked her away from the helpless young woman. Though in the scuffle that shortly followed, the assailant was injured, and the police were called. 

Before the dream reaches its conclusion, Ren is awoken by the screaming of his alarm. It was time to get up and get ready to meet his homeroom teacher and principal.


	2. Twintail Takamaki

The meeting goes well, though Ren seemed to get the idea that his teacher wasn’t very fond of him. Her body language was very cold, and scrutinizing of the way he held himself. He felt he had to readjust himself so that his posture was far more upright. The principal was just as cold as his homeroom teacher was…

Ren wakes up monday morning and sighs. There was a feeling of dread in his stomach, he didn’t want to go to school. Though, the way Sojiro glared at him while he ate breakfast told him that he better go or else face the consequences. Fine, he would go.

On his way to the school from the train station, it began to rain. A sigh escaped him, and he found himself under the awning of a nearby building, with a blonde boy a bit taller than him. This boy looked a bit on the rough side, though still pretty well kempt. Turning his head, Ren noticed that this stranger was wearing a modified version of the Shujin uniform and had an ear pierced.

The boy notices him, and offers a little wave. “Hey.” 

“Oh, hey.” 

Conversation ends, and a black car drives up and rolls down its window. Inside the vehicle, the driver was a woman wearing what would be expected of a Gym coach. Her silver hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail. 

“Hey, Sakamato, do you want a ride to class?” She asks the blonde beside him. Sakamato nods, and gets into the passenger side of the car. The driver turns her attention to Ren. “What about you?” 

“Oh, no thanks, I’m okay to take the train.” Ren assures her, only for her to drive away shortly after.

Thank God.

Ren leans against the building he was sheltering under and curses himself for not having brought an umbrella; before he can get too caught up in the self pity, a teenage girl comes running up under the awning.

“Aw damn it!” The pigtail wearing girl complains. “I missed Niijima! For eff’s sake!” 

She joins Ren in leaning against the building, eyeing him up and down. She seems to notice how confused he looked. 

“You know, Niijima!” 

“I can’t say I do know Niijima.” 

“Aw man what gives? You go to Shujin, right! Of course you do, look at your uniform!” 

Ren looks down and nods. He doesn’t say anything else, however. It seemed best to let her complain. 

“Oh! You know what, I bet you’re the transfer kid aren’t you! Man not even your first day and you’re already causing grief. Well, That was Sae Niijima, she’s the gym teacher. You’ll meet her properly later, I’m sure. God she makes me so angry!!!!”  
This takes Ren by surprise, wasn’t the girl looking for Niijima? 

“What’s so bad about her?” Ren inquires, as the two of them begin to walk toward the school. “What’d she do?”

“Man what DIDN’T she do! It’s all a game to her, the student’s lives. There’s rumors going around that she’s sleeping with some of the male students so that they’ll do better in her class. Bribing kids and abusing them so they can keep their spots on the sports team she coaches. It’s like some kind of effed up roulette.”

“Sounds like some kind of messed up casino.” 

“Oh you’re TOTALLY right!” They make it to school gate, unaware of the way the world warped around them. 

Except, this wasn’t the school.

Instead, where the school should have been standing was a grand entrance to...something, Ren wasn’t actually very sure of what it was. It looked almost like a stained glass door. Regardless, the two of them entered the stained glass door. Only to be greeted by what looked like slot machines.

“What the hell?” The young woman commented, casting a confused gaze around the room.

“Looks like Shujin remodeled since yesterday.” Ren deadpans.

“Hey shut u-” The young woman is cut off by what sounds like a few security guards coming their direction. “Lets go..this way!” 

And so, the two of them began to run. His companion lead the way, but Ren followed dutifully. He didn’t know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. To follow. 

“Man what the hell is going on!” She complains as they turn a corner, stopping to catch their breath for a moment. “This is where Shujin is s’posed to be, right?” 

Ren offers a bit of a shrug, peeking around the corner just in time to see a security guard rounding the other one. This was strange to him, too, why would HE know what was going on any better than her.

“Maybe the school took a day off?” He comments, earning a glare from twintails. Clearly, she didn’t find him as hilarious as he found himself. “We should probably keep moving, though.”

Twintails nods in agreement, and they book at as fast as they can back to the entrance. Thankfully, the two of them hadn’t gone too far. But it was enough that they could circle around and make their escape.

Meanwhile, Ren’s homeroom teacher, Sadayo Kawakami takes note of Ren’s absence. 

“I knew he was going to be a nuisance. Can’t even show up to his first day of classes...what a mess, what a headache.” She comments to herself on the lunch break. “I guess I should call his guardian.

And so, she does. Much to Sojiro’s dismay. That boy was going to be in big trouble when he got back.

Finally out of the casino, twintails and Ren find themselves once more in shibuya, rather than Aoyama-Itchome.

“What the...HELL just happened?!” Twintails exclaims, plopping down on a ledge of a flowerbed nearby.

This was only met by a shrug. 

“You saw it, right? The Casino? Bein’ chased by those security men?”

“Maybe we shared a fever dream?” 

“Hey!” Their conversation was cut short, and two police officers approached them. It was the meaner of the two that spoke. “What are you two kids doing? Playin’ hookey? Skipping class?” 

“N-No officer it’s nothing like that!” Twintails tries to explain, but realizing how the situation would sound, she backtracks. “We just got lost on our way to school. Real lost!” 

“You expect us to believe that?” The officer chastises. “Get to class before we call your parents!” 

“Yes sir!” 

And so, the two of them head to Shujin Academy. The walk over is quiet, neither of them wanting to speak as they both tried to process what had just happened. Neither of them came to any sort of conclusion. Had it really been a hallucination? What was going on….

They were greeted at the gates by Niijima of all people. “Damn it you two!” She scolds, causing twintails to scowl. Ren takes a mental note of how her face looked. Twintails must really not like Niijima-sensei. “Of course you, of all people, Takamaki...god, I cant even stand to look at you. Get to class, I’m gonna talk to the principal.”   
Ah, so her name was Takamaki, Ren would need to make a mental note of that for the next time they would meet. There would be a next time, right? 

As Takamaki was told to leave, she headed up toward her classroom, giving Ren a little wink and a wave. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that she was flirting with him. As soon as she was gone, Niijima-sensei turned her attention back to Ren. Her expression was now...softer, almost. And, was that a hint of predatory he spotted in her eyes? She steps down to be on an even footing with Ren, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Way too close. Way, way to close.

“Don’t let Takamaki influence you too much, Kid. She’s just a trouble maker, always has been. Now, get to class, you’ll probably need to talk to your teacher. I’ll let you off easy this time since you Didn’t know any better~” 

The way she spoke definitely affirmed that Ren was sensing predation from her. Best not to get too involved. The teenager hurried off to class, and Niijima placed her hand ever fleetingly on his rear. Ugh, gross. Though, Ren just hurried away a little faster.

He finds Kawakamii in the faculty office, and the glare she gives him sends shivers down his spine, even worse than the feeling that he was being preyed upon by the gym teacher.

“Where on EARTH were you?!” Kawakami all but shouts at Ren, crossing her arms sternly as she stands. 

“Sorry, I met this girl named Takamaki and we-”

“Takamaki?! That would explain it. Not even your first day here and you’re already falling in with the wrong crowd?! Do you even care about the consequences of your actions? You know one more wrong step and you’re getting thrown into juvie! Don’t you even care?!”

He remains stoic, letting Kawakami ream him for what felt like a thousand hours, though in reality it was maybe only a few minutes until she ran out of steam. Blessed be when she finally sat down, waving her hand dismissively at him. 

“Now go ahead and get to class, lunch is almost over.”


	3. Welcome to the Velvet Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Velvet room time babey

Though Ren was able to escape the school without a detention, that did not mean that he was to go without consequences. They had already phoned home, after all. Well, as home as an attic in a cafe could be.

As he opened the door, and the cafe bell rang, Sojiro looked up and gave Ren a disappointed look. He knew that he was in trouble, but still Ren stood stoic as he waited for the lecture that was sure to come. 

“Do you want to explain to me why you were caught skipping half a day of class?” Sojiro has a tone of ‘I’m not mad, I’m disappointed’ to his voice. That only seemed to serve more of a back hand to Ren.

“I...got lost.” Was Ren’s pathetic excuse. Even though there was truth to it, he didn’t believe it himself.

“Lost, huh? You better be more careful. I don’t want you bringing trouble to my shop.” 

“It won’t happen again.” 

“Good, now head upstairs, I still have customers.”

Ren dutifully does as he’s instructed, and sits on his mattress. The events of the day really seemed to tire him out, and he all but sinks into the mattress beneath him. Before he knows it, his eyes are closed.

Rest does not come peacefully, as he awakes in a dark blue room. It felt very real to the teenager. The feel of the bed beneath him, the cool draft coming from somewhere he couldn’t find, the dripping of what he hoped to be water from a sink nearby, the feeling of shackles around his ankles, the way- wait. Shackles?!

Ren sits bolt upright, nearly hitting his head on a chain dangling precariously close to his face. A quick glance at his body shows that he’s in a tattered prison garb. When had he changed?

“The inmate is finally awake.” Calls a rather childish voice from somewhere Ren was yet to see. It sounded like a..young boy? Why was a CHILD in a velvet colored prison? 

“Finally!” Calls a harsher, though otherwise similar voice. It was immediately followed by the sound of metal on metal as something hit the prison bars just to his right. 

With the clank of metal, Ren finally glances over to the bars to see two children standing. They were dressed in warden uniforms of blue and black. One had looser, less kempt hair that constantly seemed to be falling in his face, and the other had a slicked back style though there seemed to be no product in it. Both of them had a silver platinum blonde hair, yellow eyes, an eye patch that mirrored the other, and caps with what seemed to be Nonsensical letters on them. Oyoo and Xmrn, what the hell did that even mean?! 

“Hey! Are you listening?!” The one with messy hair and a right eyepatch shouted to Ren. “We’re TALKING to you!” 

“What? Oh, sorry.” Ren apologizes, focusing himself more, so as not to upset the wardens. 

“Our master has been waiting for you to wake forever, inmate. You are so rude so to keep him on the edge of his seat.” The other responds.

Master? What the hell...master?! Ren’s eyes search the room through the bars, and this is when he notices the room was completely coated in the same blue of the uniforms, with accents of golds and black. His eyes search everywhere before they finally land on what Ren could only assume was “master”. An elder man sitting at a desk in the center of the room, his eyes bulging from his head, his smile more of a cold grimace and...oh wow a nose that rivaled Pinochio’s. What an ugly man.

“Welcome to the velveeet room.” The man draws out, his voice gravely. His mouth did not seem to move at all. “You seem to have stumbled across your first trial of many as you go through your re-ha-bilitation.”

“What? Rehabilitation? Whats that mean?!”

“You are the hope to save this world from ruin. And we are here to assist you in the process, it may not make sense now, but it will. For now, just keep this room in mind as you traverse the world before you.” 

“What- you know what? Actually, that’s fine. Cool. Absolutely okay. Not cryptic at ALL!”

“Good. Our master expects great things of you, Inmate!” The messy haired one all but yells, hitting a baton against the metal bars. 

“Mona! Be calm, you’ll scare him away from his destiny.” The neat one scolds, ripping the baton from Mona’s hand. “He’s a guest as much as an inmate.” 

“But Morgaaaaan-” 

“No buts! Now, inmate, you may return to your fleeting restful moments, we will see you again soon.” 

Before the Shujin student could protest, he awakes with a start. After a quick survey of the room, he finds that it was his attic bedroom once again. Ren wants to dismiss what happened as just a dream, but he finds himself unable to. 

A quick glance at the clock on his phone tells him its time to wake up, or nearly just. A loud groan escapes him, and he turns off the alarm before it could ring. Another day, another miserable existence.  
\-----

The day passes much like a normal day in school SHOULD pass. No magic casinos, or people trying to kill him, or pervy teachers flirting with him like this was college. Though, at lunch Ann, dressed in mostly in the uniform, though she wore a white t-shirt with what looked like a pink paint splatter (That much matched the pink of her dip dyed pigtails), stopped him. 

“Hey, meet me on the roof today after school, alright?” Though there was a tone of questioning to her voice, it seemed like that was more of a command. 

“Uh….okay?”

And so the two students parted ways until after school that day, where Ren went up to the roof to wait for Ann. He was stuck waiting there for what seemed like years. Realistically, it was only a few minutes, but still. Time didn’t matter when you didn’t want to really be there.

“Alright, we’re going back in!” Ann enthuses, smirking a bit at the thought.

“Are you INSANE, Takamaki?!” Ren protests. “There’s no way in hell we’d survive if we get caught up in there again, we dont have any weapons or anything.” 

“Aaaaaaaaaaactually~” Ann pats the side of her bag. “I’m a little prepared this time. It’s just a model but-”

“YOU BROUGHT A MODEL GUN TO SCHOOL?!”

“HEY-! Quiet your voice down a little will ya? I dont want the teachers knowing I got this! I’d like not to get suspended! Besides, I wanna see what’s up? So are you in or out?” 

“Fine...but if I die I am totally blaming you!” 

Ann gives a triumphant smile, and gestures to Ren’s phone. It takes him a moment to realize that he had to do something with the phone. He glances at it, opens it up, and clicks on the mysterious red eye application. He had wondered what it was used for before, but now he thinks he understood. It was a navigator. As he licked it, the entire world started to melt away into the purplish world it was just yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> half way through i realized i hadnt written any of the awakenings or described ann at all so thats what took so long is i just died. Gomen. Have this.


	4. Analysis

The casino looks the same as it did the day before. Though, notably there were more of the creatures crawling around than there was before. Was their presence enough to get whoever was creating this hell to up their security measures? 

Apparently so.

Just outside the entrance, Ann hands her bag over to Ren with a smile on her face. Right, right the model. 

He takes the pistol from the bag and tucks it into his pocket. That’s a real smart move there buddy. Even Ann seems to think so, as she cocks a pierced brow to silently question what the hell Ren thinks he’s doing? 

“What...it’s just a model, right?” Ren replies, his lips pulled into a cocky grin. 

“Yeah but….you know what, nevermind. It is just a model. I just thought that maybe it’d dissuade potential attackers, yknow?” 

“Fine, fine. You’re such a worry wart.” She didn’t need to express her concerns, as Ren could tell that she was worried that something might happen. He slips the gun from his pocket, and tucks it into the waistline of his uniform pants between his belt and the fabric of the plaid. No breaking the toy today, sad. 

Ann opens her mouth to say something, but before she could...something, runs past. A flash of golden blonde and a rich blue...and right into the wall it went. It sat dazed on the ground, and as the dynamic dumbass duo turned to look at it. It was some sort of….dog, thing? A chibi bipedal dog maybe? 

“Hey! Watch out!” The dog says in an oddly feminen voice. Was this a girl dog?! “Look where you’re going, and if you’re not careful the shadows are gonna eat you alive in here!” 

The dog thing stands up, using tiny white paws to dust off silky golden furr. It then shakes its head, pulling a bit of a scowling face. 

“Actually, you should just get out of here while you can. I got this!” And like that, the dog was off again. From a utilty belt on its hips, it pulled a grappling hook and shot off into some area over the ledge. 

“You...saw that? Right?” Ren asks Ann, as he begins to walk, trying to follow the path that the creature had taken. The effort would be in vain, as the pathway that they could reach ended at a cement wall. 

Ann shrugs a bit, looking around as she followed Ren through the rather short corridor of the casino. “I mean...I think I did? Maybe we just had like a weird, group hallucination. The thing just kinda effed off over the wall right? You think we can follow it?” 

Blink. Blink. Did...did she seriously just ask that? Ren looked at the dead end, and then slowly back at Ann. Blink. 

“Yeah, probably.” Ren rolls his eyes.

Ann smirks again, as she leans against the wall to contemplate their options. There had to be something they could- 

Before her thought process could be complete, the linoleum panel sinks into the wall and Ann steps away. She turns to see what she had done and is left mouth a gape. “Hey uh- Ren, buddy…” 

Ren, meanwhile, had been examining the complete other wall and hadnt noticed anything had changed on the other side, until Ann spoke. And what he saw was impressive to say the least. What had once been a solid wall had opened away to a passage. It was dark; neither Ren nor Ann could see anywhere passed the gap in the wall. If it weren’t for Ann sticking her hand into it, Ren would have assumed that the wall had just turned black. But she did, and then Ann took a step into the cavernous room. 

And then the floor gave way, and she screamed as she was dropped to somewhere below the surface. 

“Ann!” Ren shouts as he runs to try and follow her, but the door that had opened slammed shut. It had swallowed her whole. “Damn it! No!” 

Ren pounds his fist against the tiled wall, pressing everything he could think to press. It was of no use, the cavern did not open again. 

“Ann! God damned it! What should I do…” There had to be a way through...He turns to go back the way that they had come, only to find what was once a hall had, too, been closed up. He was trapped in a grey cell once again. So Ren begins to pace. 

What do you do when you’re stuck? He wonders, looking down at the floor. But then he notices that some of the black and white tiles turned blue when he had stepped on them. That had to be something, right? A clue!   
The teenager takes another step, and notices all the tiles had turned back to their original colors. Thats it! It had to be some kind of puzzle, right? Eureka! He retraces his steps, he had to be careful or he’d reset all the progress. When he got the blue pieces lit back up, he pauses to analyze the pattern he had made. One blue,then three, then seven. Ren wasnt great at math, but he was good at pattern analysis. And this was a pattern! Zero plus one, then one plus two, then three plus four! The next number had to be...He does some quick math in his head, if the pattern was what he thought it would be, it would have to be 15. That was the next order of the sequence. Seven plus eight, right? Time to give it a shot.

Ren carefully steps to the correct 15 tiles, and they light up blue. There was a ding from...somewhere, though Ren wasn’t exactly sure from where. 

“Yes!” He calls out triumphantly as he presses in a now glowing tile slab on the wall. “Don’t worry Ann, I’m coming!”

God he sure hoped that this was the right wall that Ann had been swallowed up by. It looked the same, as he stepped into the darkness. For a moment, he was able to turn around and see that no light was penetrating from the outside. Dark, oppressive blackness. And then the floor gave way beneath him; Ren finds himself sliding through a dark abyss until finally. 

Plop. He’s on the ground. 

And he’s unconscious.


	5. The Pillager of Twilight!

How long had it been since Ren had fallen? Minutes? Hours? Months? Years?! No..no, it couldnt have been that long..he hoped. But when he did come to,the teenager was in a candle lit room that didn’t look like it belonged to the casino upstairs. It was damp, and cold, and musty..like a dungeon.

Like a dungeon.

He forces himself up and looks around, he was alone behind a set of bars. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the dripping of a faucet. Well, it was probably a faucet at any rate. What else would make dripping noises in a dark and scary dungeon- wait. No, he didn’t want to think about it anymore.

“Twintails? Ann?” His smooth voice calls out, as he peeks through the bars of the cell. Somewhere far off he could hear the screaming of...a girl? Was that Ann?! “Damn it!” 

His hands grip the rusted bars, and he shakes them rather violently to try and get them to open. But there was nothing, no give. Fuck! Ren kicks the bars, and they let out a resounding DWING noise. Bad idea, now he was in pain. 

The teenager hobbles back and sits on the floor of the cell, back against cold bare brick. There had to be something, right? Anything, a way out. Curious silver eyes scan the room when something grabs his attention. It looked like a loose pile of gravel across the room, illuminated by a candle burning in a rusted candlestick holder. Ren crawls over to the gravel, and brushes it aside. How convenient! An exit!

Or, at least he hoped.

“Dumbass even left me something to light my way with.” He laughs as he grabs the candle, and shimmies through the narrow passage. It was tight, way tight, but eventually the frizzy haired man emerged on the other side into a hall lined with cells. The screaming sounded closer, but the only light in the room was the weak glow from the candle that Ren held.

“Where is she?” He hums to himself, turning down what he hoped was a hallway. Thankfully, no dead ends. “Twintails? Twintaaaails? Where are you?” 

“You think calling out for her is going to help, frizzface?” Came the same voice from before. That..dog, thing? 

“Well, do you have any better ideas?” Ren cocks his brow, turning to face the golden eyes that caught the glint of flame in them. 

“Yeah, duh. I have all the great ideas. Follow me, and for goodness sake keep your voice down!” She unhooks something from her utility belt and shoots it. The grappling hook from earlier launches the thing up to a nearby ledge. “Well, are you coming?” 

Was..was this thing actually serious? Ren makes a show of patting one pocket with his left hand, and then switching the candlestick to the left so he could pat down his right side. What was she expecting him to do? 

“Are you really that dense, frizzface?” The dog gives an exasperated sigh. “Look around you, stupid!” 

“Hey I can do without the insults thank you very much!” Nonetheless, Ren looks around from behind the screen that the lenses in his glasses created. A few crates and a barrel...She wanted him to climb, didn’t she? Ugh. Fine. 

He pushes the crate up to the barrel and climbed up to the ledge with the dog, who seemed pretty proud of what he had done. Good! He wasn’t completely inept!  
“Good job, frizzface! You’re not worthless!” 

“Hey, watch it pup. I have a name, now lets get going.”

“Do you just expect me to know that information?” She rolls her eyes, launching herself up to the next ledge. Thankfully, this one wasnt so high so Ren could easily reach it. 

The screaming sounded yet again, closer. But now it sounded more like crying than actually screaming. Pained, scared crying. They had to hurry. Ren began to run, and so the dog began to run behind him. 

They finally make their way to a corridor, opening to what looked like a room with a huge roulette wheel. Ren abandons the candle, his newfound companion is sure to put it out. The last thing that they needed right now was to burn the whole casino down.

In the center of the roulette wheel was Ann, she looked beaten up and crying with a knife at her throat from what Ren could only describe as one of the security guards but stronger. 

“...really, you thought I wouldn’t notice you sneaking around?” Came a cold voice from a speaker, somewhere. Niijima….

Ann writhes from her place strapped on the board, sobbing as she was trying to escape. But she does not apologize, she does not speak at all. 

“Really, you arent going to try and defend yourself? Very well-” 

Niijimas voice was cut off by...something, something in Ren’s own head.

'Well, what are you going to do? Are you just going to stand here and watch your friend be sliced to pieces? Are you going to just let her die cowering so undignified?' 

“What the hell-”

'That is most certainly her fate if you simply stand and watch. Now you must make a choice, will you let her die, and very well die beside her. Or will you do everything in your power to save your friend? '

“I..I just have this stupid model gun there isn’t anything I can-”

'What happened to the man who had such resolve only a few mere months ago, Ren? Was that simply an illusion?' 

“No, I-” 

'Then let us form a contract, a vow if you will. Will you save your friend?'

“I..I will!” 

'I have heeded your resolve! Very well, I am thou and thou art I. Thou who art willing to perform sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!'

A blue flame begins to envelop Ren, licking and burning away his school uniform to something much more stylish. The attention of the guards is grabbed. This grants Takamaki at least a moment of reprieve. 

“What the hell?!” Sae’s voice calls from the speakers. “We’ve got a troublemaker in our mits! Fine, guards!”

“Stop it, right now!” Ren shouts, the flames licking ever higher, over his pants, up his shirt.

'I am the pillager of twilight, Arsene!'

“How dare you, you little brat!” 

'I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis!'

“Lets do this~” The flames turn the glasses into a mask of black and white, and Ren grabs the side of it. There is a quiet moment, a calm before the storm. 

And then it happens.

Ren rips the mask from his face, screaming out in pain as he does so. Despite this, the flames explode, pushing the encroaching enemies away from him. Behind stands what can only be described as a demon, towering and menacing as it stretches its wings out. The gust of wind was enough to put the flames out, and Ren is left standing in a completely new outfit. Leather, a tail coat, boots. Stylish. 

“Arsene!” He calls out, pulling the pistol from his waistband and firing at the guards that Sae had sent after him.

“Holy SHIT!” Ann exclaimed, as the dog ran over to her and unbound her from her ties. 

“I didn’t know he had the potential!” The animal seems almost...excited! But instead of joining in on the fight, she leads Ann to the entrance of the room, they’d make a quick escape soon. But not without Ren.  
Ren makes easy work of the guards, shooting them down for the most part, but there was something else he was able to do. 

'Use my power, and make them bend to your will!'

“Uh, sounds kinky, but okay. Gettem, Arsene!” And like that, a wave of what almost looked like black fire scatters across the ground, and destroys what was left of the enemies.

“Come on Joker!” The dog called. “Lets get out of here!” 

Joker, huh? New nickname,he liked it! The man trots over to his group, tailcoat trailing behind him, and the dog makes their way out of the casino back to the entrance. 

“Hot damn!” Ann pants, now that they were to relative safety. “That was one hell of a...something….” She begins to sway on her feet, so Joker uses an arm to prop her up. She needed to get home and rest, but thankfully her injuries didn’t look so severe. 

“You’re coming back, right?!” The animal asked, excited at the prospect of taking down baddies again. 

“Coming back?! You’re crazy, right? Ann almost got killed today-” 

“Alright, how about if you come back, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll keep blondie safe, and I’ll teach you what I know about fighting! And in return, you’ll one, come back, and two, help me out on my own quest. Sound good?”

What kind of half assed deal- “You know what, okay. Sure. I’ll come back. But for now, lets get twintails here to safety.” 

“You’re call, Joker! And uh, by the way, call me Lavenza! ...wait, no, since you’re Joker, call me Butterfly!” 

“...okay, whatever. Lets go.” 

Now returning to the real world. Thank you, for your hard work!


End file.
